In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, everything is seen through the eyes of a little girl, Scout Finch. Scout had pondered many questions a child normally doesn't think too much about. Scout's father takes on a case of a man named Tom Robinson who, till death was treated poorly because of the color of his skin. It also discussed a noble man, Boo Radley, who did many generous things unnoticed, but was still not thought of very highly because the people in the town would imagine him as a creepy, even though they didn't know him. There are many reoccurring themes but some of the most important ones are; how children can distinguish between good and evil, racism, and the mockingbirds in Maycomb.
Tom Robinson was a man who did nothing but good throughout the story, but was treated appallingly by the town. Most of Maycomb falsely accused the man for numerous things he did not do and he ended up in court. They accused him of rape, despite the fact that he never harmed the girl (Mayella Ewell). Even though Tom Robinson was entirely innocent, he was said to be guilty. "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (220) this quote shows how unfair the jury was, simply because Tom Robinson was a different race. All Tom Robinson did was be gentlemen and helped the lonely and abused, Miss Ewell, and he was punished because of her lies. For most of the book, Tom remained mostly invisible and Scout had not actually seen him until the trial. The trial first started because Tom Robinson helped Miss Ewell by doing simple tasks she asked him to do and one day she forced him to kiss her, but he ran away and as he did he noticed her father. Much like mockingbirds, Tom didn’t hurt anyone and was purely innocent all along. He is a perfect representation of a mockingbird because he did nothing but good until the very day of his death.
Most of the book Scout believed Boo Arthur Radley was a monster. He lived in a creepy house a few doors down and she thought he ate squirrels and would kill Atticus with scissors. Boo Radley was a very humble and did good acts of kindness without being noticed. Boo Radley is a mocking bird in the sense that he in the end was different in what people said about him. He was said to be very creepy but through the novel he was helping Scout and sending them things through the tree in his front yard. "Well how'd you feel if you'd been shut up for a hundred years with nothin' but cats to eat?" (72) Jem and Scout imagined him being the creepy man down the street until the end of the story. Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem’s lives. It wasn’t until the last few pages when Scout’s perspective changed and she saw Boo Radley as an innocent, heroic man. He is a mockingbird because didn’t do anything wrong.
“So it took an 8 year old child to bring them to their senses, didn’t it?” Jem and Scout are truly innocent and naïve, but they also have the most logic in the story. The children seemed to be the only ones who thought clearly in this book. They avoided conflict (for the most part) and tried to stop fights. The children were never ignorant or prejudice. They were the some of the only characters whose thoughts were not clouded by the world. In the novel, Harper Lee discusses how the adults get used to the bad things in the world and aren’t much fazed by it like how children are. Children have innocence but they can still determine if something is bad or not or how people should all be treated.
Children being able to distinguish between good and evil, racism and the mockingbirds in Maycomb, are all reoccurring themes in this book. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are just two of the mockingbirds that were corrupted by the world.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, everything is seen through the eyes of a little girl, Scout Finch. Scout had pondered many questions a child normally doesn't think too much about. Scout's father takes on a case of a man named Tom Robinson who, till death was treated poorly because of the color of his skin. It also discussed a noble man, Boo Radley, who did many generous things unnoticed, but was still not thought of very highly because the people in the town would imagine him as a creepy, even though they didn't know him. There are many reoccurring themes but some of the most important ones are; how children can distinguish between good and evil, racism, and the mockingbirds in Maycomb.
Tom Robinson was a man who did nothing but good throughout the story, but was treated appallingly by the town. Most of Maycomb falsely accused the man for numerous things he did not do and he ended up in court. They accused him of rape, despite the fact that he never harmed the girl (Mayella Ewell). Even though Tom Robinson was entirely innocent, he was said to be guilty. "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (220) this quote shows how unfair the jury was, simply because Tom Robinson was a different race. All Tom Robinson did was be gentlemen and helped the lonely and abused, Miss Ewell, and he was punished because of her lies. For most of the book, Tom remained mostly invisible and Scout had not actually seen him until the trial. The trial first started because Tom Robinson helped Miss Ewell by doing simple tasks she asked him to do and one day she forced him to kiss her, but he ran away and as he did he noticed her father. Much like mockingbirds, Tom didn’t hurt anyone and was purely innocent all along. He is a perfect representation of a mockingbird because he did nothing but good until the very day of his death.
Most of the book Scout believed Boo Arthur Radley was a monster. He lived in a creepy house a few doors down and she thought he ate squirrels and would kill Atticus with scissors. Boo Radley was a very humble and did good acts of kindness without being noticed. Boo Radley is a mocking bird in the sense that he in the end was different in what people said about him. He was said to be very creepy but through the novel he was helping Scout and sending them things through the tree in his front yard. "Well how'd you feel if you'd been shut up for a hundred years with nothin' but cats to eat?" (72) Jem and Scout imagined him being the creepy man down the street until the end of the story. Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem’s lives. It wasn’t until the last few pages when Scout’s perspective changed and she saw Boo Radley as an innocent, heroic man. He is a mockingbird because didn’t do anything wrong.
“So it took an 8 year old child to bring them to their senses, didn’t it?” Jem and Scout are truly innocent and naïve, but they also have the most logic in the story. The children seemed to be the only ones who thought clearly in this book. They avoided conflict (for the most part) and tried to stop fights. The children were never ignorant or prejudice. They were the some of the only characters whose thoughts were not clouded by the world. In the novel, Harper Lee discusses how the adults get used to the bad things in the world and aren’t much fazed by it like how children are. Children have innocence but they can still determine if something is bad or not or how people should all be treated.
Children being able to distinguish between good and evil, racism and the mockingbirds in Maycomb, are all reoccurring themes in this book. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are just two of the mockingbirds that were corrupted by the world.